Elements Don't Mix For a reason
by HarmonyMarguerite
Summary: The world is out of balance, and it's up to four elementals to make everything alright again. Join them on their journey through the realms... Pity them. Please. Someone has too.
1. The Ice Realm

"Oh Yukino!" Cyan burst into the room of her fellow Priestess in training. "Yukino, the fire Prince is coming to find the Princess!"

A girl in light blue turned from the window, long skirts cascading over the window seat and onto the floor. Ice blue eyes blinked at the intruder. Her hair was hidden under a cap.

"Prince?" She asked, not sounding at all interested.

"Yes. Think of it Yukino! One of us is a Princess who will save the world!"

Yukino sighed, and cast her mind back to the legend of the elemental royalty.

The legend told of a time when the world started to become out of balance. At that time, four elementals rose from their fellows and gave power to the world, thus restoring the balance. These four were then granted special abilities for saving the world. The main one mentioned by the legend was the ability of the four to touch each other without pain or illness.

In the world of elements, no one could touch ice without freezing, or fire without burning. Wind and earth often made others ill.

They were also given the title of Prince or Princess to signify that they were above all others.

Cyan spoke again. "The Prince is supposed to be very handsome. Imagine what would happen if the Ice Princess was to marry him! Don't you wish it was you?"

"The Princes and Princesses haven't been needed for hundreds of years. If they are forced to come back, then that means that they have to save the world again. Isn't that too much trouble just for a husband?"

"You never understand these things, Yukino. You live up to your name too well. I wouldn't mind being a hero, and marrying a handsome man who saved the world."

"Then I hope it's you." Yukino stood, pushing her way out of the door. "Saving the world is too troublesome." She walked to the throne room, passing a few groups of girls who were whispering about the Prince and giggling.

She turned the corner, and bumped into someone.

"Oh sorry!" She knelt next to the tall man she had knocked over.

He looked up, a frown on his handsome face, and they stared at each other, Yukino unable to look away from fiery red eyes.

He shook his head and stood, walking away.

_Rude._ She thought, standing and turning back to the alter room. Once there, she went through the motions of prayer. When she grabbed a summoning rod from behind the alter, she flipped a switch and waited for the room to clear.

When the last priest left, she slipped behind the alter again and into a secret doorway. It lead her down a dark path and into a room that was filled with a strange blue light from deep within the ice walls. Yukino had slowly been setting the room up as a place to practice magic so there were candles, straw scarecrows, and rocks spread around the room.

In the society Yukino grew up in, women were expected to be priestesses until they were married. Though many had the ability to be magic users, no one was allowed to be. No one dared practice.

Except for Yukino.

She knelt by the candle and concentrated. It took a few moments, but she managed to light the small candle with a fire spell.

She had a lot of difficulty with fire.

Standing, she called up wind and manipulated the wind and fire to set the scarecrow on fire. "Great, as long as fire is already there, I can make it bigger." Turning to a boulder, she cast a quick earthquake spell and cracked it. Next she turned back to the fire and froze it.

She was getting faster.

"Not bad." A voice came out of the shadows of the room.

She screamed and turned to face it.

From the doorway came the man she had bumped into earlier, his red eyes reflecting the light and glowing. His black hair fell slightly over his tan face as he regarded her solemnly.

"Who are you?" She asked, backing away. "How did you find this place?"

"I followed you." He offered her a wry smile. "I thought you acted differently than the others I've met here. As for who I am, I am Kasai, the Fire Prince."

"Oh. I heard you were coming. You're looking for the Princess, right?"

He blinked. "I found her."

"Don't say it." She sighed.

"She's you."

"I told you not to say it. How do you know?"

"When you bumped into me. If you weren't the Princess, you would have said a bit more than 'sorry.' And the only thing that hurt on me was my pride. Anyone else would have been burning."

They stared at each other.

"Are you sure it's me?" She asked.

He closed his eyes, looking like she was trying his patience. "Yes!" He opened his eyes and grabbed her wrist. "I can't touch anyone else from this realm."

"Damn."

"Now go get your things, we're leaving."

She stared at him. "What? You can't order me around!"

"I can and I am. Go get your things or we leave without it. I'll meet you outside."

"Don't order me around, bastard."

"Look wench, you have ten minuets to get your things, and don't think about not meeting me. I will hunt you down and burn you like a twig."

"I don't want to…"

"MOVE WOMAN!"

She ran away from the small fireball he sent at her, running all the way to her room.

Once there, she grabbed a bag from the bottom of her closet and threw some clothing in there. The only thing she had were long dresses with full petticoats like the one she was wearing. Extra amulets and boots were also thrown in the bag. After that, she also put a dagger in each boot. One last dagger was placed in her belt and she hid that with a cloak. The cloak was specially designed to allow ice elementals to travel.

One last look around the room, and she left.

At the front gates, the guards seemed surprised to see her. "Lady Yukino?" One asked. "Wha- where are you going?"

"For my walk." She rolled her eyes.

"But…" he seemed a little confused. "But we only ever see you come back, not leave."

Usually she would leave the secret room by another exit and circle the temple to enter by the front door. "That's because you don't pay attention." She turned to leave.

"Why do you have a pack?" The other guard asked.

She sighed. "I'm collecting herbs and plants for ceremonies and things…." and she left.

Kasai was waiting in the garden, arms wrapped around himself. "Took you long enough." He muttered when she came into view.

"Sorry." She sneered. "I don't have a pack ready for the moment someone would come and liberate from my servitude to the temple."

He raised an eyebrow. "Bitter much?"

"No!" She paused. "Although I wish I had thought of it. Then I could stare out the window like an insipid twit, waiting for my knight in shinning armor to rescue me."

"Not much for the others in your temple, are you?"

"Eh." She looked around wide eyed as they walked away from the temple. "They're not bad, but they sit around and only talk about boys and how they might better serve the Gods. It gets boring after a while."

"You prefer a more intelligent conversation?" He asked.

"Wouldn't you?"

There was silence as they continued on. Yukino looked around her, never having been this far away from the temple or town before. Kasai was concentrating on staying warm.

"Just out of curiosity, and for the sake of the other girls in the temple, do you have a girlfriend?"

"No."

"Oh. Are you sure? A handsome guy like you is all single and alone in the world? See, you should have a girlfriend and bring her on this quest, then you wouldn't be cold at all."

"I don't have a girlfriend. Please stop asking."

"Oh." There was silence. "So… Why are we going on this quest?"

"To restore balance to the world."

"Oh." There was silence. "So… Why is the world out of balance?"

"I don't really know."

"Then why are you going on this quest?"

"The Oracle sent me."

"Do you always listen to everything the Oracle tells you?"

"Do you always ask so many questions!" He blew up at her.

She stepped back, staring at him with a hurt look on her face.

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Agh!"

"I think you need anger control."

"I think you need to shut up."

She stuck her tongue out at him.

"That's so mature." He rolled his eyes.

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"No! For the love of-- Will you stop asking me that?"

"I just want to make conversation. If we're going to be traveling around together, I think we should know a little bit about each other."

"Well how about we stop talking about me, and talk about you. I don't know anything about you."

"Fine. What do you want to know?"

"I don't know, HOW ABOUT YOUR NAME!"

She blinked. "I think you need a nap."

His hand raised and formed into a claw almost as if he was going to grab her by the neck and shake her. "Do you have a name?" He ground out through clenched teeth.

"Guess!" She said.

"Just tell me!"

"I want you to guess!"

"I want you to tell me."

"You can't order me around, you're not the boss of me."

"I'm older than you."

She looked at him. He didn't look that much older than her. "By what, a year or two?"

"How old are you?"

"17."

"I'm 10,000. That means I can order you around."

"No, that means you're an old man." She grinned, hopping around him. "Should I get you a wheelchair? Do you need help walking?"

He lunged for her. "Brat!"

She laughed and jumped back, trying to avoid him. With a snarl, he caught her, though his momentum made her fall on the snow. He landed on her, using her skirts and body as a shield so he wouldn't touch it.

"Okay, okay, I give." She laughed again.

He grinned at her, panting a little. "There. Maybe you'll have some respect for your elders."

"Mm… maybe. But I might forget."

"I'll be sure to remind you."

"Hey."

"What?"

"Are you still cold?"

He looked surprised, then thoughtful. "No. Still sick because I'm in the ice realm, but not that cold. Thank you." They both paused, looking at each other. He looked puzzled, then reached for the cap she wore. "Why do you have this on? I didn't see anyone else wearing anything over their hair."

"I like hats." She said.

He frowned, but didn't comment. Suddenly, his head snapped up. "We have company." Careful not to touch the snow, he stood, and helped her up.

Two artic wolves came into view, five others behind them. The two in front snarled, and lept at them.

Kasai met one with a fire spell, sending it flying away. It ran away yelping in pain. Yukino pulled out the dagger from her belt and met the other one head on. They bounced off each other. With a shout, Kasai obliterated that one in flames as well, though he did catch part of Yukino's skirt with the flames.

She sat in the snow and glared.

Another wolf attacked. Kasai sent another ball of fire at it. The wolf almost dodged, but Yukino called wind up to follow the wolf. The spell hit it's side. Kasai finished it off with more fire.

"This is becoming a trend." Yukino said, looking at the melted snow.

Two more came up, Kasai throwing more fire. The wolf dodged though and both attacked Yukino. She saw one, but the other scratched her side. She fell to the snow, and managed to block a second attack with the dagger. The other wolf almost scratched Kasai, but he rolled away. The snow hissed, and Kasai's skin looked slightly frostbitten.

Three wolves now converged on Kasai. She heard him scream in pain, but couldn't see where he was wounded. Holding her side, she ran over and attempted to jab a wolf with her dagger.

She hit one which reared away from Kasai and snarled at her. She leapt at it and hit it again, hearing Kasai scream again. It retaliated, leaping for her. She closed her eyes and attempted to cast fire, actually managing the spell and hitting it.

Fur on fire, the wolf leapt for her now. She barely managed to dodge, though it scratched her uninjured side as it went by. Turning, she saw the wolf attacking, and ducked, driving the dagger deep into its chest. The wolf howled in pain, and dropt down to the ground. It attempted to claw her again, but she stabbed it's eyes. One of the wolves turned away from Kasai and attacked it's wounded companion, killing it.

She head Kasai call out and turned just in time to get her chest clawed open by another wolf. She screamed, and fell to the ground. Dimly, she heard Kasai give a cry of rage and three wolves howl in pain. Then there was silence.

She clutched her chest with one hand, other hand digging into the ground, tears of pain pooling in her eyes. Arms went around her, pulling her back into a body. She heard the hissing noise of evaporating snow as blood hit the ground.

It was Kasai, cut and bruised, cradling her to him. He looked into her eyes, a large scratch underneath his left eyes. "I'm sorry." He whispered. "This might hurt a little." Gently, he cradled her head and held a bottle up to her lips.

She drank, and a wave of healing magic spread through her body, curing all of her cuts, though the slashes on her chest were still red and sore.

After giving her half the bottle, he downed the other half, healing himself.

"Kasai?" She whispered, still a little dazed.

"I promised I wouldn't let you get hurt. The Oracle made me promise to take care of you."

"It's not your fault we were attacked by things."

"It's a good thing I brought potions." He grimaced. "Though I didn't think we would need them so soon.

He helped her stand, and gingerly began brushing snow off himself. With a sigh, she reached up and took off her cap which was mostly falling off anyways.

Ice blue hair cascaded down her back. Not noticing his gasp of shock or his staring, Yukino knelt to put the cap away. He reached out a trembling hand to run his fingers gently through it. She looked up.

"I thought everyone in your land had white hair."

"Yeah." She looked slightly cross as she stood. "That's why I hide it. They don't seem to like people who are different, and it's bad enough my eyes are blue."

"I like your eyes." He then looked shocked that he said anything and turned slightly red.

She blushed a little. "Oh. Um, thank you."

He nodded, and turned away. "We're very close to the Earth realm now, we should be there in a few moments."

"Right."

They continued to walk. After a moment, Yukino started singing in her head. _On the road again. I just can't wait to get on the road again…_

Kasai twitched.

"Is something wrong?" She asked.

"Can you not sing that song?"

"I-I wasn't singing out loud!"

He turned slightly red. "Did I mention that I can read minds?"

"Get out of my head!" She shrieked.

"I don't mean too! I only pick up what you project, I promise! I don't go looking for thoughts!"

"Hmmph. Says you." She frowned, and concentrated on 'blocking' him out. Mostly, that consisted of humming one long note in her mind.

"What are you doing?" He asked, twitching again.

She stopped humming for a moment. "I'm blocking you out."

"Stop that, it's annoying."

"Good. Then you won't read my thought."

"I don't want to read your thoughts, you have nothing good to think about. This entire journey you've been thinking of the best way to ditch me and run away to some ice cave somewhere."

"Hey, that's not fair, reading my mind when I can't read yours."

"There's no point in reading your mind when I can't find anything useful out of it like, oh… YOUR NAME!"

She blinked innocently. "Oh, I didn't tell you?"

"NO!"

"It's Yukino."

He blinked, stopping mid rant. "Your name is ice? And you're an ice elemental."

"Hey, your name is fire, and what element are you?"

"Fire… oh."

"That's right, flame-boy."

"Right…. Um… so, earth is over here…" He scuttled ahead.

She followed with a put upon sigh. _You are so weird._

_Look in a mirror._ He replied in her mind.

"Hey!" She called. He stopped and waited for her to catch up. "Do you know how many girls in the temple you disappointed? They all wanted to be chosen as the Princess."

"Well, it's not my choice."

"I just thought you should know of all the broken hearts you left behind."

"What about you? Would you have been disappointed if you hadn't been chosen?"

"No. Should I be?"

He looked away quickly, though she did manage to catch a glimpse of a hurt expression on his face. "No. Of course not. Why would you want to go save the world?"

"Why indeed?" She asked, confused.

The rest of the journey to the air realm was spent in silence.


	2. The Earth Realm

Yukino didn't notice exactly when they passed into the Earth Realm, but one moment she looked down and there was snow and the next there was slush.

"Are we there yet?"

"No. And don't start with that."

"Okay." She grinned internally and let a few moments pass. She opened her mouth.

"Don't even ask it." He snapped.

"Damn." _It's no fun to travel with someone who can read your mind._

_Is it your life goal to drive me insane?_

_There's nothing better to do out here._

_How about not getting killed? _Kasai pointed to three griffins, two of whom were staring at them.

The two attacked. Yukino threw ice at one, temporarily throwing it off course. The other one attacked Kasai, managing to scratch his arm. The two met again in mid air, a sword appearing in Kasai's hand. There was a short tussle, but Kasai managed to cut it in half.

He turned quickly to Yukino, expecting her to be in trouble, but saw her lounging against an ice statue that used to be a griffin.

"Have fun?" She asked.

The last griffin lunged and was turned into an ice sculpture mid air. It fell and shattered into a million pieces.

Kasai blinked. "Nice."

"Thank you."

They continued, the sword disappearing again.

"Hey, how do you do that?"

"What?"

"The appearing, disappearing sword trick."

He shrugged. "It comes with being what I am."

"A fire elemental?"

He blinked innocently. "Didn't I tell you? I'm a demon."

"Touché." She smiled a little. "I suppose I should have thought of it when you mentioned your age. You weren't kidding with that then?"

"No. I really am that old."

"Don't worry grandpa. I'll take care of you." She grinned at him.

"Brat." He grinned back, and this time she noted the slight fangs hanging out of his mouth.

She loped her arm through his, leaning her head on him. "This has to be the weirdest group I've ever heard of, and there's only two of us so far."

"What is a normal group when it comes to these adventures?"

"I'm not quite sure, but I'll lay odds it doesn't include opposing elements."

He chuckled and they kept walking.

* * *

By the time the slush turned to green grass, Yukino had fallen behind Kasai and was slowing down. She wrapped her cloak around her tighter, clinging to the small amount of cold it offered her.

Kasai turned to her with a sigh. "What's wrong?"

"I… don't feel good." She fell to her knees.

He knelt next to her, feeling her forehead and pushing her hair out of her face. "It's just the change from the Ice Realm to the Earth Realm finally affecting you."

She leaned against him. "I feel like crap."

"I know." He picked her up, letting her head rest on his shoulder. "Just go to sleep. It will be easier for you."

"Okay." She wrapped her arms around his neck and closed her eyes. Knowing he could still here her, she thought:_ Kasai's pretty strong for an old guy. Hot too._

As she fell asleep, she could feel him slowly turning red.

* * *

When she awoke, she had been placed in a bed, her boots and daggers on the floor next to her. Thankfully, her cloak was still on her, offering her a little bit of coldness. A glance out the window showed it to be night outside.

Yawning, she rolled out of bed and walked to the door where she could hear the soft murmur of voices. She pushed open the door and peered out through the crack.

Kasai sat at a table with an elderly man who looked like an elf. They had cups in front of them and a third cup sat before the last empty place.

The elf looked up and smiled at her. "Ah, you're awake!"

Kasai turned and sent her a small smile. "Hey. Feeling better?"

"Hullo." She moved into the room and slid into the empty chair. "I'm feeling a little better."

"Here." The elf pushed the drink to her. "This has a potion in it that will help you feel better."

"Yay." She drank, immediately feeling the effect of the potion. "Thank you very much!"

"You're welcome." He smiled at him. "I'm called Elder, and I'm the leader of this village. Lord Kasai and I were just discussing how we might find the Princess."

"Any ideas?" She asked.

Kasai grinned a little. "I could go around and shake peoples hands. Whoever doesn't die is the princess."

She blanched. "Killing people is bad, Kasai."

"Are you sure?"

_YES!_

He fell over. "There's no need to yell."

Elder looked between the two. "Right. I had a plan. I thought that perhaps we could spread the news around that there is a Prince here looking for someone to marry. Lady Yukino could pose as an advisor and screen the girls before they come in."

"You want me to go out and shake people's hands?"

"Yes. It's better than having Lord Kasai do it."

"That's true." She paused for a moment in thought. "How will me touching them affect them and me."

Elder thought a moment before he spoke. "With the potion it shouldn't affect you at all. As for them, it will make the girls feel slightly nauseous, but they'll be fine."

"That sounds fine." Kasai sat back with a happy smile.

"I can do that." Yukino nodded.

"Good." Elder smiled at both of them. "Now, we should sleep. Lady Yukino, your bed in the room you just left. Lord Kasai, your bedroom is over there."

"Where are you going to sleep?" Kasai asked.

"On the couch."

"Oh no you don't. I'm not putting anyone out of their bed."

Yukino opened her mouth to speak.

"You're sleeping in there Yuki." Kasai said, glaring at Elder.

"Nonsense my boy. You're sleeping in the guest bedroom."

Kasai opened his mouth to argue back.

"I'll just be going to bed then, shall I?" Yukino backed out of the room, leaving the two to argue over sleeping arrangements.

* * *

Yukino awoke the next morning to the sound of Kasai crying out. "Why'd you kick me?" He yelled.

"It's time to get up." Elder said happily.

"I don't want to." Kasai groaned.

There was the sound of a body hitting the floor, and Kasai crying out again in pain.

"Up!" Elder said, still sounding overly cheery.

Yukino decided to get up before he could kick her out of bed.

She changed clothes, and was struggling with the zipper on her dress when there was a knock on the door. "Just a minute!" She called, franticly trying to pull it up. The damn thing seemed to be stuck.

The door opened and Kasai stepped in. "Oh good, your up."

She held her back away from him. "Do you know the meaning of the words 'Just a minute'?"

"No." He watched her edge away from him. "What's the problem now?"

"Nothing." She said, freezing.

"Come here."

"I don't want to."

"Woman, come here!"

She slowly moved over to him. He grabbed her shoulders, turned her around and zipped up the dress.

She gasped, feeling a little light headed. The dress was designed as a corset, and was very tight.

He leaned over her to whisper in her ear. "Maybe if you got a different style, you wouldn't have trouble with it."

"This is all they give us at the temple."

"You're not there anymore, are you?"

She turned to glare at him. "Are you going to get me new clothes? Because I sure as hell don't have any money."

"You could raise some. Have people give the Priestess a gold piece every time she swears."

She stuck her tongue out.

"Come on. Elder has breakfast ready."

Yukino followed Kasai out to see Elder laying dishes on the table. "Do you need any help?" She asked.

"No, no. Sit down, child." Elder smiled at her and placed the last dish on the table. The three sat down to eat.

The meal was passed in silence, and all three helped to clear the table. Yukino moved to the door, straightened her dress and cast one last look at the other two.

"Where do I tell the girls to go who aren't the Princess?" She asked.

"I have a group of people over to the side who will help them deal with the nausea." Elder told her.

"Oh." She walked out.

There was a long line of girls in front of the house, leading down the street and almost out of her sight. She sighed, then put on her best smile.

"Thank you all for coming! I'm the Prince's advisor. I just want to ask a few questions before I let you in to see the Prince. So if you could just line up, we'll begin." She looked at the first girl who came up to her and stuck out her hand. "Hi. What's you're name?"

The girl took it, and turned slightly green. "I'm Taylia."

"What makes you more special than some of the other girls?"

"Well…" Taylia paused, holding onto her stomach.

Yukino sighed, still smiling. "Please move over there. We'll let you know if the Prince wants to meet you." She turned to the next girl. "Hi. What's your name?"

That went on for quite sometime.

* * *

It was a little past noon, and Yukino's smile was becoming a little strained. _If this girl isn't it, I either need a break, or we need a new plan._

"Hi." She said to the brunette before her. "What's your name?"

The girl smiled, shaking her hand. "I'm Tsuchi."

"What makes you more special that some of the other girls here? Why should you meet the Prince?"

"Well…" Tsuchi looked thoughtful. "I actually am not interested in meeting him, I just want to challenge him. I mean, Prince's are supposed to be strong, right?"

"Yeah." Yukino's smile became genuine. "How do you feel? Nauseous?"

"No. Should I?"

"Nope! Wait here a moment." Yukino turned to the long line of women. "Thank you all for coming today! We'll call you if we need to meet any of you again!"

There were several groans of disappointment and the crowd dispersed. Yukino ushered Tsuchi into Elder's house and collapsed against the door, glaring at the two lounging men.

"Problems?" Kasai asked.

"You could have warned me there were so many damn people in this town."

"Oops?"

"On a high note, I found her!" She pushed Tsuchi forward. "Meet Tsuchi. Tsuchi, meet Prince Kasai."

Tsuchi looked between Yukino and Kasai. "That's the Prince?" And she burst out laughing.

Kasai looked like he thought he should be insulted.

"I like her!" Yukino cried happily.

"I hate you all." Kasai said.

"Now, now children. We have much to discuss. Why don't we all have a seat?"

"Elder?" Tsuchi cried.

Elder turned a little red. "Yes, well… Kasai?"

"Don't look at me, I didn't orchestrate this mess."

Yukino sighed. "In short, Tsuchi, you're the Princess of Earth. We have to go collect the Prince?" She paused and waited for Kasai's nod. "The Prince of Air so that we may restore balance to the world."

"I'm not a Princess."

"It's based on a legend." Elder said. "You're only called a Princess, because it means you're a special elemental."

"Oh. Do I have to marry the Prince?"

"No."

"Good." Tsuchi turned to the others. "Who are the two of you?"

"That's Kasai, the Prince of Fire. I'm Yukino, the Princess of Ice."

"Kasai, do you have a girlfriend?"

Kasai turned red while Yukino fell on the floor laughing.

"Yes, damn it!"

"Oh." Tsuchi looked a little disappointed.

Yukino sat up, pouting. "Hey…"

_Shut up, Yukino._

_Why did you tell her you have a girlfriend when you keep telling me no?_

_Because I'm sick of getting asked that question!_

"Hey Kasai?" Yukino spoke out loud.

"What?"

"Who's your girlfriend?"

"Augh!" Kasai hit his head on the table.

"Perhaps we should call it a day?" Elder said, looking at him and trying not to smile. "After all, Tsuchi needs to pack."

Tsuchi left, promising to be back early tomorrow.

* * *

Yukino woke the next morning when the sun reached her face. She dressed, with a little less difficulty than the day before and walked out. The Elder waved at her from the kitchen. Kasai was snoring on the couch.

"Oh, can I wake Kasai up this morning?"

Elder grinned at her. "Go ahead."

Yukino looked at Kasai, sprawled out on his back on the couch. With a wicked grin, she jumped on top of him.

"Oof!" Kasai said, instantly awake.

She grinned at him. "Morning!"

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Waking you up. Are you awake?"

"Unfortunately." He grabbed her and flipped them over so he was laying on top of her. "Seriously, what are you doing?"

_Marveling in being trapped under you._

He turned red. _You're trying to kill me, aren't you?_

_Maybe._ She grinned. _So, whose your girlfriend?_

"I don't have one!" He rolled off the couch.

"But you told Tsuchi…"

"Never mind what I told Tsuchi. I don't have a girlfriend."

She pouted. "You do. You just don't want to admit it. Who is she?"

"I DON'T HAVE A GIRLFRIEND!"

"Are you ready for breakfast?" Elder smiled at them.

Kasai stormed off.

Tsuchi showed up after breakfast, and they got ready to leave. Elder walked them to the edge of the village where they said goodbye to him. He pulled Yukino to the side and spoke to her as the others went ahead.

"Lady Yukino, I want you to take this potion with you. It's the same one I gave you earlier. If you ever have to go to the fire realm, you may need this. However, it should last for about three weeks."

"Thank you!" She gave Elder a hug and smiled. He returned the smile and waved to them until they were out of sight.

He smiled to no one in particular. "I don't know if I should feel safe, or run for my life."


	3. The Air Realm

Kasai was walking in front of the two women who had their heads bent together.

"So, do you know Kasai's girlfriend?"

"No." Yukino frowned. "He won't tell me anything… In fact, until you came, he denied that he had a girlfriend."

"Serious?" Tsuchi snuck a look at the stiff back of the man in front of them. "I wonder if he is really attached to her?"

"I'm sure if you tried, you could win his heart." Hearts flickered briefly in Yukino's eyes.

Tsuchi frowned. "I'm not sure I'd want to… Kasai's kinda…"

"Tall, dark and creepy?"

"Yeah."

Kasai twitched.

Yukino snickered.

"Huh?" Tsuchi looked confused.

"Nothing. I just thought of something amusing."

"Oh."

_Are you listening in to private conversations, Kasai?_

_No. But you're broadcasting louder than you could ever talk._

"Yukino? Are you alright?" Tsuchi looked a little concerned at the exuberant girl's silence.

"Sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment."

_Too bad you actually found your way back._

She stuck her tongue out at Kasai's back.

_Mature, Yukino. Very mature._

_I try._

"What's going on?" Tsuchi looked between the two of them, knowing that something was up, and sure that she was out of the loop.

"Oh, didn't we tell you? Kasai can read minds."

Tsuchi stared at her. "He can read minds?"

"Yeah."

"So, he's been reading our minds since we started?"

"Pretty much."

Tsuchi turned bright red. "Oops."

"Don't worry. If you hum one long note in your head, he can't hear your deeper thoughts. Plus, it makes him twitch."

"Really?" There was silence for a few moments.

Kasai twitched.

"Hey!" Tsuchi cried. "It worked."

_WILL YOU TWO STOP IT!_

Tsuchi fell over in shock. "Oww."

Yukino rubbed her head. "Can that be classified as 'mind bullets'?"

Kasai suddenly dived, sword out and swinging. Yukino cast ice to her left and without thinking, Tsuchi rolled out of the way of an attack.

There were seven overgrown snakes on them before they had realized they had walked into the snakes den.

Well, there used to be seven. Now there were two ice cubes, millions of pieces of what used to be two snakes, and three shocked snakes staring at them.

Kasai went for another one, stalemating it. Yukino froze another while Tsuchi cast earthquake. The frozen one and a third fell into the crevice, and Tsuchi closed it. A few moments later, Kasai killed the last one.

He stood, and brushed himself off. "Well. That was an amusing jaunt. We should be entering the air realm soon."

"Okay." Yukino followed Kasai.

"Wait a moment! I didn't sign up for this to encounter random crap that wants to kill me."

"Honey," Yukino took her aside and put an arm around the taller girl. "None of us signed up for this. We were elected."

"I resign."

"I wish." Kasai muttered.

Yukino sighed and dragged Tsuchi forward.

* * *

A short time after the snakes, Tsuchi began looking ill, and falling behind.

"Are you alright?" Yukino asked.

"I don't feel well, that's all."

"Kasai?"

He sighed, and fell back. "We've entered the Air Realm. It's going to affect her a bit."

Tsuchi fell to her knees and threw up.

"I'll go get something for her to drink." Kasai said, and walked quickly out of sight.

Yukino sighed and rubbed Tsuchi's back while she waited. After a moment, Kasai came back with a glass from his bag full of water. With a moment's inspiration, Yukino poured some of the medicine into it. They forced Tsuchi to drink it, while Yukino ripped a part of her skirt off to wipe Tsuchi's mouth.

"I don't like this." Tsuchi moaned.

"The drink should help you a little." Yukino said, stroking her hair.

Kasai sighed and knelt in front of Tsuchi, his back to her. "Climb on. If you sleep, the transition is easier."

She nodded miserably, and with Yukino's help, managed to climb on Kasai's back. Moments after they started again, she was asleep.

* * *

They walked in silence for a while until a blush crept over Kasai's face and he jostled Tsuchi.

"Hey, be careful. She's been ill you know." Yukino frowned at him.

"She's dreaming. If I jostle her, it knocks her out of the dream stage."

"What's wrong with dreaming?"

"There's nothing wrong with it, it's the subject matter I'm having problems with."

"Too X rated for you?"

"It's not that. They all involve me!"

"Oh, poor Kasai. He's too hot and not at all comfortable with it."

"I had to do the same with you."

"Oops." A blush stained her cheeks as he jostled Tsuchi again. There was a moments silence as they waited for her to settle down. "I have one question."

"What's that?"

"How do we find the Air Prince?"

"I haven't the faintest idea."

"Oh that's lovely." She sighed and looked around. "I suppose shaking everyone's hand is out?"

"Too tedious, as we just discovered. It would make Tsuchi too ill, you'd turn everyone into icicles, and my power would go out of control."

"Right. That's out then. Any other brilliant ideas?"

"Not a one."

"I love the unknown."

* * *

They were well into the Air Realm when Tsuchi woke again. Kasai looked back at her. "Oh good. You're awake. And not dreaming."

"Oops." Tsuchi blushed.

"I had the same reaction." Yukino grinned.

"Get off."

"You could ask politely." Tsuchi said as she climbed down.

"He never asks. He only orders." Yukino sighed, then smiled sweetly at Kasai when he glared at her. "What?"

Kasai closed his eyes for a moment, and black wings spread out from his back.

"Woah. That's kick ass." Yukino said. Tsuchi just stared in shock.

"This is the Air Realm. Everything flies here. I figured anything that recognized me as something that doesn't belong in this realm is a good candidate for the Prince."

"Brilliant!" Yukino smiled sarcastically. "I'm so glad you thought of something. And something that is open to more holes than a sponge. I'm glad you're willing to get your ass kicked for the cause."

"Shut up, Yukino. The two of you wait here."

They watched as he lifted into the air, and flew out of sight.

"He's such a sociable creature." Yukino sighed and sat down on a nice patch of grass.

"Have you known Kasai long?"

"No. I met him about a day before you did, actually."

"You seem really close."

Yukino shrugged and picked a blade of grass, staring intently at it. "I guess I'm just like that. I meet someone new and I decide to annoy the fuck out of them. It makes it seem like I've known them longer."

"Why is it your life goal to annoy people?"

"I don't really know. It's just something I've always done. The people at the temple I grew up at were nice, but they were all very superficial. They grated on my nerves so much, I just got used to pushing them away. I guess I'm just used to it by now."

"You are an odd person, Yukino."

Yukino looked up and narrowed her eyes. "Hey. Do you think that's Kasai?"

Tsuchi looked to where she was pointing, to a small dot in the distance that was growing bigger as it flew towards them. "No, actually. It's too small to be Kasai."

_Um, Kasai? Where are you?_

_Being held hostage by a bunch of crazy fairies._

_Oh. That's nice. Can you get free?_

_I'll try._

They were silent as they watched a small fairy boy land in front of them. He was dragging Kasai's sword as if he was holding it with all his might. He threw it in front of the two girls and attempted to glare, a move that caused him to look more cute than scary. "I suggest you take your friend's things, and leave this realm."

Yukino glanced at the sword, then at the boy. "Where you the one that noticed he wasn't from the Air Realm?"

"Oh course. But it would have only been a matter of time before someone else would have discovered him."

"Naturally." Yukino walked over to him to peer closely at him. He looked like a fairy from the books she had read, blond hair, pale, and petite. The only difference was his bright yellow eyes. "By the way, what's your name?"

"Um… Tei?" He backed away from her a little bit.

"That's so weird." She muttered. "The Ice Princess is named ice, the Fire Prince fire, the Earth Princess earth and the Air Prince air. This is too redundant. Someone planed this."

"What are you talking about?" Tei looked utterly confused.

"Tsuchi come her. Can you shake her hand?"

"What?"

"Just shake her hand."

"I don't want to. You're crazy! Just go away."

"I'm serious. Just shake Tsuchi's hand. That's all I want you to do, then you can go away."

"Promise?"

She crossed her fingers behind her back. "Promise."

He shook Tsuchi's hand.

"How do you feel?" Yukino asked, hovering anxiously.

"Fine. Why?"

"She's from the Earth Realm."

Tei stared at his hand in shock. "Are you serious?"

"Yep! And because you can touch her, it means that you are the Prince of Air. Welcome to the group."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Tei yelled.

Tsuchi sighed. "She's like that."

"The Oracle sent us to collect you for our little group. We're going to restore balance to the world."

He stared at her, eyes slowly growing bigger. "THE Oracle?" He gasped.

"Yeah!" Yukino smiled, feeling as though the words 'complete bull-shitter' were flashing over her head.

_Repeat after me, Yukino._ Kasai's voice floated through her mind. _Before you mess everything up._

_Hey, I'm doing pretty good._

_If you want to die, yeah, your doing great. Say: The Oracle has sent us to gather the legendary Princes and Princesses of the four realms._

"The Oracle has sent us to gather the legendary Princes and Princesses of the four realms."

_Together, they will be sent to restore balance to the world._

"Together, they will be sent to restore balance to the world"

_You have been chosen as the Prince of Air._

"You have been chosen as the Prince of Air."

_It is your duty as a citizen of the Air Realm to help your people, and save the world._

"It is your duty as a citizen of the Air Realm to help your people, and save the world." Yukino grinned, proud of herself. The other two stared at her, noting the pauses and absolutely confused. Kasai sighed.

"I don't want to." Tei said.

"Neither do I." The two women chorused.

"Besides," Yukino said. "Can you imagine the disaster it will be when people discover you are holding the Prince of Fire in your realm?"

"He's a fire element?" Tei stared in shock.

"Yeah." _Kasai, a good distraction might be nice now._

_You mean, more than this?_

Yukino looked up to see a giant pillar of fire rising above the trees. "Um… Tei?"

"Yeah?"

"You might want to go fix that." She pointed.

Tei looked over, emitted a rather strange squeak and flew off.

_Um, Kasai? Could you bring back the Air Prince when you get free?_

_Whose the Prince?_

_A little blond haired, yellow eyed boy._

_You mean the snot nosed brat that beat me?_

_He beat you?_ She giggled.

_He called in backup, the little shit._

_Yes, well, he's the Prince. Could you bring him back?_

_Yeah, yeah._

After a while, the two women saw two figures flying in the distance. They landed in front of them, and Kasai swept up his sword with one hand, making it disappear. Tei looked to be in shock.

"F-fire." He muttered.

"It was only an illusion." Kasai replied.

"Fire!"

"Oh Kasai, you traumatized the poor child." Yukino patted Tei's back. "It's okay. Kasai looks a little scary, but he's like a big puppy when you get to know him."

"I'm going to kill you, I hope you know that." Kasai told her.

"As long as you do it after we save the world." Yukino sighed.

"So… what now?" Tsuchi asked.

"According to the Oracle," Kasai looked around. "We have to find one temple in every realm that holds an item. This item will unlock a fourth temple where will restore the balance."

"Sounds like too much work." Yukino sighed again.

"We'll hit the Air temple first because we're here." Kasai said, ignoring her. "And just go around in a circle."

Yukino started to sing as they moved on. "On the road again…"

"Shut it, Yukino!" Kasai yelled.

"Everyone's so energetic this afternoon." Tsuchi smiled wearily.

"Fire." Tei muttered.


End file.
